wwii axis reenactment forum

I am currently converting a post-war rucksack to resemble the late-war Heer two pocket rucksack. Is there any evidence to support these having the Red Cross emblem added for medical use?

I have seen several wartime photos of medics with rucksacks, but nearly everyone appeared to have 1 large outer pocket.

There was an issue tornister which did have the red cross emblem. The closest you see now are the swiss packs. But if you want something even simpler, obtain a repro clothing bag, and stitch a redcross emblem to it. This was often done on the western front as a field replacement/make-do. It was easier to carry than the tornister, and they (the tornisters) were of course pretty rare.

There were also issue rucksacks and they appear in photos more often later in the war. The tornister seems to have been replaced by the rucksack by late 43.

Grabenkater wrote:There were also issue rucksacks and they appear in photos more often later in the war. The tornister seems to have been replaced by the rucksack by late 43.

Yeah the rucksacks were a combination - some were standard canvas rucksacks with the redcross stitched onto the lid - whilst others were the large gebirgs style canvas rucksacks, which had more space for medical supplies. I wouldnt say that any form of specific medical rucksack was "standard" issue to be honest. As you hardly ever see any photos of guys wearing them. The most common I have in my photo collection are the normal and large style leather pouches and satchels.